Carbon dioxide incubator

Abstract

This utility model discloses a carbon dioxide incubator, including a chamber, a motor installed at the bottom of the chamber, a shaft connected to the top of the motor, a rotating platform fixed to the outside of the shaft, and a ring of placement slots arranged on the rotating platform. A carbon dioxide generator is installed in the inner cavity of the chamber. The inner wall of the chamber is connected to a ring plate via three support plates, and the ring plate surrounds the rotating platform inside. A clamping assembly is installed in the cavity of the rotating platform. This utility model provides a carbon dioxide incubator that, through the design of the clamping assembly, automatically and reliably fixes the culture dish during the rotation of the turntable. When the culture dish rotates with the turntable to the working position, the clamping mechanism automatically clamps it under mechanical linkage; when it rotates to the pick-up / drop position, it automatically releases. This effectively solves the problem of easy displacement and collision of culture dishes in traditional turntable incubators during speed changes or sudden stops, avoids the risk of culture medium leakage and cross-contamination, and significantly improves the safety and reliability of experiments.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of gas culture technology, and in particular to a carbon dioxide incubator. Background Technology

[0002] Carbon dioxide incubators are core equipment in cell culture, biopharmaceuticals, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other fields. By simulating constant temperature (e.g., 37°C), humidity (≥95%), CO2 concentration (usually 5%) and sterile environment, they maintain the in vitro growth conditions of cells or tissues. Their performance directly affects the reliability and reproducibility of experimental results.

[0003] The applicant's search revealed that existing carbon dioxide incubators are designed with a rotating platform structure to increase the contact rate between the culture medium and carbon dioxide inside the culture dish and to make handling more convenient. For example, a carbon dioxide incubator disclosed in patent application number 202222284029 uses a turntable to ensure that the culture dish on the turntable can fully contact the carbon dioxide inside the incubator body, and also facilitates the handling and placement of the culture dish, thus making the carbon dioxide incubator more usable.

[0004] The above scheme can improve the contact rate, but in practical applications, it has been found that this design has certain shortcomings. Since the culture dishes are placed directly on the turntable, there is a lack of effective limiting and fixing devices. When the turntable changes speed or stops suddenly, the culture dishes may be displaced or collide, resulting in leakage and splashing of culture medium, cell contamination between different culture dishes, or experimental failure. In addition, the bottom of the turntable is not supported, so the stability is not high enough.

[0005] Therefore, the applicant proposed a carbon dioxide incubator to solve the problem. Utility Model Content

[0006] This invention provides a carbon dioxide incubator that solves the problems mentioned in the background.

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this utility model provides a carbon dioxide incubator, including a box body, a motor installed at the bottom of the box body, a shaft connected to the top of the motor, a rotating platform fixed to the outside of the shaft, a ring-shaped placement groove set on the rotating platform, a carbon dioxide generator installed in the inner cavity of the box body, and a ring plate connected to the inner wall of the box body through three support plates, the ring plate surrounding the rotating platform inside, and a clamping assembly installed in the cavity of the rotating platform.

[0008] The clamping assembly includes a turntable rotatably mounted on the top of the rotating table cavity and four clamping plates sliding inside the placement slot. A gear is fixed at the bottom of the turntable, and the gear meshes with a toothed plate. One end of the toothed plate extends through the side wall of the rotating table, and a pulley installed at the outer end of the toothed plate rolls inside the ring plate. The toothed plate slides outside the convex sliding plate fixed at the bottom of the rotating table cavity.

[0009] The turntable rotates to drive the four clamping plates to perform synchronous clamping operations.

[0010] Preferably, the turntable is fixed with convex plates on all four sides, and an L-shaped arm is rotatably mounted on the top of the convex plates. A cylinder is rotatably mounted on the top of the L-shaped arm. The cylinder passes through the top opening of the turntable cavity and enters the slide rail of the turntable. The top of the cylinder is fixedly connected to the slider that slides in the slide rail. Another cylinder is fixed on one side of the slider. The cylinder passes through the slide rail and enters the placement groove, and is fixedly connected to the clamping plate.

[0011] Preferably, a return spring is connected to one end of the toothed plate located inside the cavity of the rotating table. The return spring is in a compressed state, and the other end of the return spring is fixed to a support plate inside the cavity of the rotating table.

[0012] Preferably, the clamping plate is arc-shaped, and the clamping surface of the clamping plate is provided with an anti-slip rubber pad.

[0013] Preferably, the end of the ring plate facing the box door has a notch, both ends of which are designed with inclined surfaces, and a corresponding stuffing block can be inserted into the notch.

[0014] Preferably, the filling block has locking blocks on both sides, the locking blocks are inserted into the locking slots at the bottom of both sides of the notch, the bottom of the ring plate is fitted and rotated to install a stop plate at the edge of the notch, a rod is inserted and slidably installed on the stop plate, the bottom of the rod is connected to the bottom surface of the stop plate with a spring, and the rod can be inserted into the circular insertion hole at the bottom of the locking block.

[0015] Preferably, the bottom of the ring plate is fixed with a ring-shaped arrangement of support plates, and steel balls are installed in the ball groove at the top of the support plates, and the steel balls roll in contact with the bottom of the rotating platform.

[0016] Compared with related technologies, the carbon dioxide incubator provided by this utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] This invention provides a carbon dioxide incubator that, through a clamping component design, automatically and reliably fixes the culture dish during the rotation of the turntable. When the culture dish rotates to the working position with the turntable, the clamping mechanism automatically clamps it under mechanical linkage; when it rotates to the pick-up / drop position, it automatically releases. This effectively solves the problem of easy displacement and collision of culture dishes in traditional turntable incubators when changing speed or stopping suddenly, avoids the risk of culture medium leakage and cross-contamination, and significantly improves the safety and reliability of experiments.

[0018] This invention provides a carbon dioxide incubator that adopts a combination design of a ring plate and a support assembly. Through the cooperation of the steel ball support structure and the ring plate guiding system, the turntable maintains stable operation during rotation. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall three-dimensional structure of the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall three-dimensional structure of the present invention. Figure 2 ;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional sectional view of the overall structure of this utility model;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the rotating platform of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional sectional view of the rotating platform of this utility model. Figure 1 ;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional sectional view of the rotating platform of this utility model. Figure 2 ;

[0025] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the clamping component of this utility model;

[0026] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the ring plate of this utility model;

[0027] Figure 9 This is a top view of the ring plate and rotating platform of this utility model.

[0028] The following are the labeling elements in the diagram: 1. Housing; 11. Motor; 12. Shaft; 13. Rotating table; 14. Placement slot; 15. Carbon dioxide generator; 2. Ring plate; 21. Stuffing block; 22. Clamping block; 23. Support plate; 24. Insert rod; 25. Support plate; 26. Steel ball; 3. Clamping assembly; 31. Turntable; 32. Gear; 33. Toothed plate; 34. Pulley; 35. Convex sliding plate; 36. Clamping plate; 310. Return spring; 37. Slider; 38. L-shaped arm; 39. Convex plate. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present utility model without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0030] Depend on Figures 1-9 The present invention includes a housing 1, a motor 11 installed at the bottom of the housing 1, a shaft 12 connected to the top of the motor 11, a rotating platform 13 fixed to the outside of the shaft 12, and a ring-shaped arrangement of placement slots 14 on the rotating platform 13 (four, six, or eight slots can be designed). A carbon dioxide generator 15 is installed in the inner cavity of the housing 1, with the output pipe of the carbon dioxide generator 15 facing inward towards the inside of the housing 1. The inner wall of the housing 1 is connected to a ring plate 2 via three support plates, and the ring plate 2 surrounds the rotating platform 13 inside. A clamping assembly 3 is installed in the cavity of the rotating platform 13, and the clamping assembly 3 includes a turntable 31 rotatably mounted on the top of the cavity of the rotating platform 13 and a sliding plate inside the placement slots 14. The four clamping plates 36 are movable. A gear 32 is fixed at the bottom of the turntable 31. The gear 32 meshes with a toothed plate 33. One end of the toothed plate 33 extends through the side wall of the turntable 13. The pulley 34 installed at the outer end of the toothed plate 33 rolls inside the ring plate 2. The toothed plate 33 slides outside the convex sliding plate 35 fixed at the bottom of the cavity of the turntable 13. The turntable 31 drives the four clamping plates 36 to perform synchronous clamping operations by rotating. The end of the ring plate 2 facing the box door of the box body 1 has a notch. The notch can be opened or filled with a corresponding notch block to make the inner wall of the ring plate 2 a complete circle. For example, a corresponding filling block 21 can be inserted into the notch. Both ends of the notch are designed with inclined surfaces.

[0031] The turntable 31 has four fixed protruding plates 39. An L-shaped arm 38 is rotatably mounted on the top of the protruding plates 39. A cylinder is rotatably mounted on the top of the L-shaped arm 38. The cylinder passes through the top opening of the cavity of the turntable 13 and enters the slide of the turntable 13 (the cylinder does not contact the top opening of the cavity of the turntable 13). The top of the cylinder is fixedly connected to the slider 37 that is fitted and slidably mounted in the slide. Another cylinder is fixed on one side of the slider 37. The cylinder passes through the slide and enters the placement groove 14, and is fixedly connected to the clamping plate 36.

[0032] As described above, with the design of the rotating table 13 and the ring plate 2, in the initial state there is no filling block 21, and the notch of the ring plate 2 is in the open state. When the placement slot 14 faces the door side, that is, towards the notch direction, the clamping plate 36 is in the unclamped state, and the toothed plate 33 slides outward to its maximum extent on the convex sliding plate 35. After the culture dish containing the culture is placed, the motor 11 is started to make the shaft 12 rotate, the rotating table 13 rotates, and the pulley 34 moves to contact the inclined surface of the notch, gradually moving to the inner wall of the ring plate 2. During this process, the pulley 34 and the toothed plate 36... 3. The toothed plate 33 slides inward to the inside of the rotating platform 13, and slides inward to its maximum extent on the convex sliding plate 35, where it cannot move and remains fixed. During this process, the gear 32 is driven to rotate at a certain angle through meshing. The gear 32 drives the turntable 31 to rotate synchronously. The rotation of the turntable 31 pulls the L-shaped arm 38 through the convex plate 39, which in turn drives the slider 37 to slide in the slideway. The movement of the slider 37 drives the clamping plate 36 to move towards the center of the placement slot 14 through the connecting cylinder, thereby realizing the automatic clamping and fixing of the culture dish. When the pulley 34 moves again... After moving to the notch, the limiting position is lost, and the toothed plate 33 can be manually pulled outward to the maximum position to release the clamp. Then, the culture dish can be easily removed. After all the culture dishes are placed in all the placement slots 14, that is, after one rotation, the stopper block 21 is installed so that the inner wall of the ring plate 2 is a complete circle. Then, close the door and start the carbon dioxide generator 15 to deliver carbon dioxide to the inside. Start the rotating table 13 to rotate. The pulley 34 rolls on the inner wall of the ring plate 2, and the culture dish is in a stable clamped state and is not easy to loosen. When removing a single one, move it to one side of the notch, remove the stopper block 21 and continue to move to release the clamp. Note that the size of the notch is reasonably designed to always allow two placement slots 14 to be located on both sides of the notch. Other humidity and temperature output or control structures are existing conventional designs, so they are not shown in the figure. The installation position can be selected according to the actual application. Secondly, for culture dishes of different diameters, adjust the length of the cylinder fixed on one side of the slider 37 to change the initial position of the clamping plate. This is also a conventional design.

[0033] One end of the toothed plate 33 located inside the cavity of the rotating table 13 is connected to a return spring 310. The return spring 310 is in a compressed state, and the other end of the return spring 310 is fixed to a support plate inside the cavity of the rotating table 13.

[0034] Furthermore, since the return spring 310 is in a compressed state when clamped, when the toothed plate 33 moves to the notch position, it can automatically move outward through the compressed return spring 310 without manual pulling, which is more convenient. It should be noted that the elasticity of the return spring 310 decreases over time, but it does not affect the overall performance. Manual pulling is also possible. It can be replaced when it is completely damaged. This is a conventional technical method.

[0035] The clamping plate 36 is arc-shaped, and the clamping surface of the clamping plate 36 is provided with an anti-slip rubber pad.

[0036] Furthermore, the rubber pad can improve the safety and stability of the clamping, making it very practical.

[0037] The filling block 21 has locking blocks 22 on both sides. The locking blocks 22 are inserted into the locking slots at the bottom of both sides of the notch. The bottom of the ring plate 2 is fitted and rotated to install the abutment plate 23 at the edge of the notch. The insert rod 24 is inserted and slidably installed on the abutment plate 23. The bottom of the insert rod 24 is connected to the bottom surface of the abutment plate 23 by a spring. The insert rod 24 can be inserted into the circular insertion hole at the bottom of the locking block 22. Note that the position of the pulley 34 is above the locking slot, which does not affect the movement of the pulley 34.

[0038] Furthermore, the filling block 21 is inserted into the notch from bottom to top, and the locking block 22 is inserted from the locking slots on both sides of the notch and aligned at the bottom. Then, the insertion rod 24 is pulled down to stretch the spring, and the abutment plate 23 is rotated to fit against the bottom of the locking block 22. The insertion rod 24 is released so that it is reset under the action of the spring and inserted into the circular insertion hole at the bottom of the locking block 22. In this way, the filling block 21 cannot move down to complete the installation. This spring locking structure using existing conventional technology can be quickly assembled and disassembled, which is very convenient.

[0039] The bottom of the ring plate 2 is fixed with a ring-shaped arrangement of support plates 25. Steel balls 26 are installed in the ball groove at the top of the support plates 25. The steel balls 26 contact and roll at the bottom of the rotating table 13.

[0040] Furthermore, when the turntable 13 rotates, the steel balls 26 contact and roll at the bottom of the turntable 13 to form good support. Alternatively, the steel balls 26 can be made of stainless steel and coated with food-grade grease to ensure smooth rolling even in high temperature and high humidity environments, reducing the noise when the turntable 13 rotates. The pulley 34 can also adopt a corresponding design to reduce noise.

[0041] Working principle: When a petri dish needs to be placed, the placement slot 14 of the rotating platform 13 rotates to the notch position on the side of the box door. At this time, the pulley 34 is located at the notch. Under the action of the return spring 310, the toothed plate 33 extends outward, driving the gear 32 and the turntable 31 to rotate, so that the clamping plate 36 is in a loose state. After the petri dish is placed, the motor 11 is started. The rotating platform 13 drives the pulley 34 to first contact the inclined surface of the notch, and then roll along the inner wall of the ring plate 2. During this process, the toothed plate 33 is pushed inward and drives the gear 32 to rotate, thereby driving the turntable 31 to rotate. Through the linkage of the L-shaped arm 38 and the slider 37, The four clamping plates 36 move synchronously towards the center to clamp the culture dish. After all the culture dishes are placed, the plugging block 21 is installed to form a complete circle with the ring plate 2, ensuring stable clamping during the culture process. When removing the culture dish, simply rotate the target placement slot 14 to the notch position and remove the plugging block 21. Under the action of the return spring 310, the clamping plate 36 will automatically release, and the culture dish can be safely removed. This design realizes automatic clamping and precise positioning of the culture dish. While improving the contact efficiency with carbon dioxide, it is also more stable when speed changes or stops. The operation is simple, stable and reliable.

[0042] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0043] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A carbon dioxide incubator, comprising a chamber body (1), a motor (11) installed at the bottom of the chamber body (1), a shaft (12) connected to the top of the motor (11), a rotating platform (13) fixed to the outside of the shaft (12), a ring-shaped arrangement of placement slots (14) on the rotating platform (13), and a carbon dioxide generator (15) installed in the inner cavity of the chamber body (1), characterized in that: The inner wall of the box (1) is connected to the ring plate (2) by three support plates. The ring plate (2) surrounds the rotating table (13) inside. The rotating table (13) is equipped with a clamping assembly (3) in its cavity. The clamping assembly (3) includes a turntable (31) rotatably mounted on the top of the cavity of the rotating platform (13) and four clamping plates (36) sliding inside the placement slot (14). A gear (32) is fixed at the bottom of the turntable (31), and the gear (32) meshes with a toothed plate (33). One end of the toothed plate (33) extends through the side wall of the rotating platform (13), and a pulley (34) installed at the outer end of the toothed plate (33) rolls inside the ring plate (2). The toothed plate (33) slides outside the convex sliding plate (35) fixed at the bottom of the cavity of the rotating platform (13). The turntable (31) rotates to drive the four clamping plates (36) to perform synchronous clamping operations.

2. A carbon dioxide incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The turntable (31) has convex plates (39) fixed on all four sides. An L-shaped arm (38) is rotatably mounted on the top of the convex plate (39). A cylinder is rotatably mounted on the top of the L-shaped arm (38). The cylinder passes through the top opening of the cavity of the turntable (13) and enters the slide of the turntable (13). The top of the cylinder is fixedly connected to the slider (37) that slides in the slide. Another cylinder is fixed on one side of the slider (37). The cylinder passes through the slide and enters the placement groove (14), and is fixedly connected to the clamping plate (36).

3. A carbon dioxide incubator according to claim 2, characterized in that, The toothed plate (33) is connected to a return spring (310) at one end inside the cavity of the rotating table (13). The return spring (310) is in a compressed state, and the other end of the return spring (310) is fixed to a support plate inside the cavity of the rotating table (13).

4. A carbon dioxide incubator according to claim 2, characterized in that, The clamping plate (36) is arc-shaped, and the clamping surface of the clamping plate (36) is provided with an anti-slip rubber pad.

5. A carbon dioxide incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ring plate (2) has a notch at the end facing the door of the box body (1). Both ends of the notch are designed with inclined surfaces, and a corresponding filling block (21) can be inserted into the notch.

6. A carbon dioxide incubator according to claim 5, characterized in that, The filling block (21) has a locking block (22) on both sides. The locking block (22) is inserted into the locking slots at the bottom of both sides of the notch. The bottom of the ring plate (2) is fitted with a rotatable abutment plate (23) at the edge of the notch. A plug rod (24) is inserted and slidably installed on the abutment plate (23). The bottom of the plug rod (24) is connected to the bottom surface of the abutment plate (23) with a spring. The plug rod (24) can be inserted into the circular insertion hole at the bottom of the locking block (22).

7. A carbon dioxide incubator according to claim 5, characterized in that, The bottom of the ring plate (2) is fixed with a support plate (25) arranged in a ring. A steel ball (26) is installed in the ball groove at the top of the support plate (25). The steel ball (26) rolls in contact with the bottom of the rotating table (13).

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